The American journal of emergency medicine
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Review Meta Analysis
Prevalence of pulmonary embolism in patients presenting with syncope. A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Syncope is a common clinical presentation and establishing an etiology is often challenging. Pulmonary embolism (PE) has been thought to be an uncommon cause but a recent report suggested otherwise. ⋯ The estimated prevalence of PE in patients presenting with syncope is low. The Prandoni et al. estimates are significantly higher, suggesting a possible site effect, accrual bias, or investigation strategy. These and the prognostic impact of higher PE prevalence require understanding before changes in practice.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative Study
Utility of a Medical Alert Protection System compared to telephone follow-up only for home-alone elderly presenting to the Emergency Department - A randomized controlled trial.
Medical Alert Protection Systems (MAPS) are a form of assistive technology designed to support independent living in the care of elderly patients in the community. We aimed to investigate the utility of using such a device (eAlert! System) in elderly patients presenting to an Emergency Department (ED). ⋯ In this population of elderly ED patients, the use of a MAPS decreased length of stay for admissions and improved quality of life measures.
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Multicenter Study Observational Study
Blood pressure variability as an indicator of sepsis severity in adult emergency department patients.
Quantify the correlation between blood pressure variability (BPV) and markers of illness severity: serum lactate (LAC) or Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) scores. ⋯ With the finding of a positive correlation between BPV and markers of illness severity (LAC and SOFA scores), this pilot study introduces BPV analysis as a real-time, non-invasive tool for continuous sepsis monitoring in the ED.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Kinect-based real-time audiovisual feedback device improves cardiopulmonary resuscitation quality of lower-body-weight rescuers.
Chest compression (CC) quality is associated with rescuer posture and body weight. We designed a Kinect module-based real-time audiovisual feedback (AVF) device to investigate the relationship between rescuer posture, body weight, and CC quality. ⋯ The Kinect-based AVF device can significantly improve CC quality in manikin training in rescuers with their body weight<71kg.
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Observational Study
Accuracy of bedside point of care testing in critical emergency department patients.
Point-of-care (POC) testing reduces laboratory turn-around having the potential to improve timely diagnosis and management. We compared the accuracy of nurse performed POC and core laboratory testing and determined whether deviations between the two were clinically meaningful. ⋯ Bedside POC by ED nurses is reliable and accurate and does not deviate significantly from core laboratory testing by trained technicians.